# 6~ FOUR~pt.2 THE MEANING OF BIBLE NUMBERS 11-5-11
Today Lord be willing we’ll continue to talk about the meaning of Bible numbers, this is the 6th week of our study, and let me say that if you have access to the internet you can see, read, hear or copy all of them, also you can do the same with our study on the Revelation.
Go to “Sermons Central.com” and then look for contributors and there you’ll find these studies as well as others.
Let me say once again that I obtained a lot of this information from reading behind Brother Ed Vallowe as well as others.
Last time we left off talking about the number four, and we’ll say some more today about number four and move on to number five as time permits.
The number four always has reference to all that is created. It is the number of things that have a beginning, of things that are made, of material things, and matter itself. It is the number of material completeness. Therefore it is the number of the WORLD.
The first and second chapters of Genesis we find the record of CREATION, the word Creature is found four times beginning in 1:20
There are FOUR Divine Acts on the first day of the earth’s restoration. (Genesis 1:5)
God said--God saw--God divided-- and God called.
There were FOUR Divine Acts on the second day of earth’s restoration. (Genesis 1:8)
God said-- God made--God divided-- God called.
There were FOUR Divine Acts on the fourth day. (Genesis 1:19).
God said--God made-- God set--God saw.
There were FOUR Divine Acts on the Seventh Day of earth’s restoration. (Genesis 2:2)
God ended-- God rested--God blessed--and God sanctified.
These FOUR Divine Acts were carried out on FOUR of the seven days and they were in relationship to man and his existence upon this earth. **
In the parable of the sewer, *[a parable is an earthly story to illustrate a heavenly truth] the parable of the sewer represents the gospel (the WORD) being preached to mankind through out the world, as we spread Gods WORD we are sowing the seed, Jesus mentioned FOUR places, the (1) wayside, (2) the stony places, (3) among thorns, and (4) the good ground. (Matthew 13:3-8; also found in, Mark 4:3-8; and Luke 8:4-8)
There are FOUR portraits of Christ in the FOUR Gospels. Christ created the world and all that was created.
John 1:1-3 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
MATT. Reveals Him as the King. The gospel of Matthew was written primarily for the Jew’s, Matthew was written by a Jew, Matthew, to the Jews, about a Jew, it is the Kingdom gospel, the words “the Kingdom of heaven” is found 32 times in this gospel only, no where else in the Bible do we find these words in this order, many references to the kingdom of heaven, but not these exact words, “the kingdom of heaven”. He is the Son of David.
His royal genealogy is given in chapter 1. So the first of the four portraits of Him in the four gospels, He’s portrayed in Matthew as the King.
In chapters 5-7, in the Sermon on the Mount, the laws of His kingdom are declared.
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MARK reveals Jesus as the Suffering Servant. Written to the Romans, there is no genealogy, and the reason is, Men are not interested in the genealogy of a servant. More miracles are found in this gospel of Mark than in any other gospel.
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Luke reveals Jesus as the Perfect—Man. He’s referred to as the son of man more in this gospel than the others. His genealogy goes back to Adam, “the first man”, instead of to Abraham as in Matthew.
As the perfect “Man”, He is seen much in prayer and with angels ministering to Him.
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JOHN reveals him as the Son of God. Written to all who will believe, with the purpose of leading men to Christ.
John 20:31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
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The Brazen Altar had FOUR sides and FOUR horns. I (Exodus 27:1-2)
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The New Jerusalem in the new heavens and the new earth is to be FOUR-SQUARE. (Revelation 21:16)
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FOUR commands to kings and rulers on ‘this earth.”
Psalm 2:10-11 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. ** 11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
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There were FOUR coverings for the tabernacle erected in the Wilderness.
1. The inner material of fine linen curtains that was the housing of the holy place and most Holy Place. (Exodus 26:1-14)
2. The middle covering was of goat’s hair.
3. The first outside covering of ram’s skins dyed red.
4. The outside covering of badger skins to withstand weather.
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There were FOUR curtains to the entrance of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness with the Brazen Altar of Sacrifice just within, and the four curtains speak of the FOUR Gospels.
This Altar witnesses to the sacrifice of Christ, because on the Brazen Altar was where the offerings were made, being a type of the cross, even the entrance it’s self speaks of Him being the Door; He is the Door. John 10:9 I am the door:--
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There were FOUR colors of THESE curtains, each having a typical significance.
1. The blue speaks of Christ as the Heavenly ONE, or as the Son of God, as revealed in John.
2. The purple speaks of Christ as the Royal ONE, the King, or Messiah, as in Matthew.
3. The scarlet speaks of Christ as the Perfect Servant, obedient unto death, as in the gospel of Mark.
4. The white linen speaks of Christ as the righteous Perfect Man, the Son of Man, as in Luke.
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There were FOUR animals that the people could bring as a sacrifice unto the Lord.
1. The bullock typifies Christ as the Servant, obedient unto death. (Philippians 2:5-8)
2. The lamb or sheep typifies Christ as the Lamb of God taking away our sins. (Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29; I Peter 1:19)
3. The goat typifies Christ as being made a curse (Galatians 3:13 and a transgressor.
(Isaiah 53:12)
4. The turtledoves typify Christ as the One, who became poor that through His poverty we might be rich, second cor.8:9 ---read also Luke 2:24
The number four is the number of the world and all creation.
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FIVE—pt.1
The number “5” has a two fold meaning, (grace or we could say Gods goodness—and the other meaning is death) not every numbers book I’ve read behind mentions “5” as to do with death, but it’s obvious as we’ll see later.
By Gods grace we have five senses, SIGHT-HEARING-SMELL- TOUCH AND TASTE.
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The first FIVE books of the Bible are called the Pentateuch, -- Penta-means 5—teuch-means books.
These five books are the foundation of Scripture, they make known the righteous requirements of God which man is obligated to obey.
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The # 5 is a significant number in connection with the measurements of the Tabernacle, which was certainly a place where God’s grace was revealed. |
There were FIVE offerings upon the Altar of Sacrifice.—THE BRAZEN ALTAR just inside the gate.
1. THE BURNT OFFERING.
This was the principal offering in connection with this altar, in which the offering was burnt to ashes, the priest getting only the skin of the animal. (Leviticus 7:8)
This entire offering went up to God and this speaks of His own satisfaction in the death of Christ
Ephesians 5:2-- as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor. ** (fragrance)
The ashes of the BURNT OFFERING speak of the absolute and thorough judgment of sin, (ashes).
The skin of the animal, as it was with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21), speaks of the provision God has made in the death of Christ to cloth the naked guilty sinner in the garments of salvation. (Isaiah 61:10 and Luke 15:22)
The second of the FIVE offerings upon the Altar of Sacrifice was,
2. THE PEACE OFFERING. -- This offering typifies Christ making peace between God and the lost sinner by the blood of His cross. Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross---- and Ephesians 2:14-17.
Third of the five offerings was- THE SIN OFFERING.
In this offering we see Christ typified as our substitute, bearing our judgment because of our sins, answering to the righteous requirements of the law.
I Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
The fourth of the five was- THE TRESPASS OFFERING.
This typifies Christ’s death as atoning for every effect of sin, and as the basis upon which God will eventually effect the restitution of a disordered universe. This offering was twofold, covering trespasses both against God and against one’s neighbor.
(Leviticus 5:1-19 and Leviticus 6:1-7)
The fifth of the five offerings was- THE MEAT OFFERING.
This offering typifies Christ’s perfect humanity; the frankincense speaks of Christ’s fragrant life (Matthew 3:17);
The oil- HIS anointing of the Spirit for His public ministry (Matthew 1-18-23);
The oven -speaks of the last three painful hours of His suffering on the cross, and at the hands of men- (Psalm 22, Hebrews 2:18- Matthew 27:27-31)
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There are FIVE ministries through which God’s grace is to be revealed in Ephesians 4:11, namely
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.—listen as I read that verse.
11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:--
The first time I ever read this in Eph. 4:11, I thought to my self that the PROPHETS were before the APOSTLES but here we read APOSTLES 1ST ---I was thinking of the O.T. ---but we need to realize that the church was a new thing in these days here in ACTS and there were still PROPHETS. --- A time of transition was under way, soon there’d be no Prophets or Apostles, there is neither today.
Acts 11:27-30 And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. 28And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth** (famine) throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea: 30Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
So in the first-century church, a prophet belonged to a recognized order in the church, one of these prophets was a man named Agabus, prophesying under the influence of the Holy Spirit of God, that there should be great dearth (famine) throughout all the world,--
In response to this prophetic announcement, the believers at the church of Antioch determined to send relief unto the brethren who lived in Jerusalem.
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David chose FIVE smooth stones when he went against the giant Goliath — He trusted in God’s grace, David was confident that he’d kill the giant but carried five stones in case the first didn’t kill him is the probable reason, also God had not promised that David would kill Goliath with the first stone, and another thought is that he wanted to be prepared in case the Philistines attacked him after he killed Goliath. David was simply being prepared when he took the four additional stones.
